To whom it may concern:
How I repaired my CMC: My CMC-TP stopped working after I was cleaning off the rubber feet on the stand that effectively turned to tar over the years.
When I plugged it in it would power on, but it was not recognized by Windows. I tried 4 different USB cables.
Some of the buttons would light up when pressed, but not all of them. The slider would also go through its startup sequence. There was also a pattern to which buttons would light up and which would not light up.
I have enough technical electronic experience to understand that the issue likely came from some micro-controller on the circuit board. I’ve seen similar issues in other devices and the problem usually stems from the type of solder used. The lead-free solder has a tendency to crack in the right circumstances as well as becoming more brittle with time.
The fix:
I have an SMD solder rework station (a fancy hot air gun) as well as a bottle of liquid rosin flux.
I opened the CMC-TP and found a microcontroller (ARM STM33F103) approximately where the kickstand is, where I applied pressure. I assumed the likely culprit; one or more of these legs had become effectively detached in such a way that you could not see, even under a microscope.
This microcontroller has four sides with many little legs on each side. I added flux to each side and reworked (re-melted) the solder on each pin.
I plugged the CMC in, fired up Cubase and Success! The CMC-TP is now fully operational once again.
Note: I have some experience with this type of repair. If you don’t have these tools or skills, I don’t recommend this repair. If you don’t know what you are doing, you will cause more damage.
A highly skilled repair technician would probably remove the microcontroller, clean the pads, apply new solder and reinstall the microcontroller.
I do not recommend using a soldering iron even if you have some skills with such a tool. The legs on this microcontroller are much too small for a soldering iron. You will cause more problems.
If your issue sounds similar to mine and you don’t have the skills or tools, take your device to an electronic technician and let them know about this solution. You could also ask them to “re-flow” the board. That will reset all of the solder joints.
This fix won’t fix a problem with a failed component. My symptoms pointed to a microcontroller issue. My issue came after applying pressure from cleaning. The problem was almost obvious to me.
If your device won’t power on at all (that little white light in the top right corner won’t turn on), you likely have a different issue. Try a USB cable that you know works. If that doesn’t work, take it to a technician.
Lastly, this repair might fix other CMC devices with similar issues. Most of the CMC use the same circuit board. The difference is that some of the components are arranged differently. They all use the same microcontroller with the same old brittle solder.
Good luck to anyone reading this in the future. These CMC controllers are work-flow power-houses. I hope you can repair yours.